People all over the planet will be affected by climate change, and the exhibition "Environment, Conflict and Cooperation" visualizes the dramatic impact of expected global environmental shifts.

Conceived at the initiative of the German Foreign Ministry and created by Adelphi Research, it is now on display at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington through April 20, after which it will move on to Houston and Austin.

Using the subjects of water, climate, land, forests, and minerals, the exhibition shows not only the ways in which environmental degradation and resource scarcity can lead to conflicts and new security threats, but also how environmental cooperation and sustainable development can contribute to security and stability.

"This exhibition shows how man-made environmental changes will affect our foreign and security policy. Crises that are aggravated or even caused by environmental destruction will increasingly dominate the international agenda," said Haindl.

He cited the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Stern Review as evidence of the economic, social and political consequences climate change will bring about.

"We should not fool ourselves: climate change will alter all our lives. Rain patterns will change, and, with that, the availability of portable water and usable agricultural land. The number of extreme weather events will increase; cities and entire regions could be rendered uninhabitable," said Haindl.

"Migration movements will be the result. This exhibition demonstrates through striking examples how human-made environmental changes can affect human coexistence," he added.

He also stressed that while the European Union has taken steps in the right direction, the EU cannot go it alone as joint action is necessary across the globe to combat climate change.

"The heads of state and government of the EU adopted a landmark resolution which will guide future EU climate and energy policy. The EU is acknowledging the special responsibility of the industrialized nations to reduce the emissions responsible for climate change," said Haindl.

"But the resolution also candidly states that since 85 percent of the world's emissions are created outside the EU, it will also critically depend on whether others join in pursuing the European policy. We know that we can prevent further global warming only through joint, decisive action. We have taken the first step in that direction. We hope that as many of our partners as possible will soon join us."